Oh no, not another poo thread!

[Catbird]

The Arden Grange trial packs have just dropped through the letter box, so I will be very slowly introducing these to Dot.  Fingers crossed it does some good.

C.

[Catbird]

Hes 48hrs behind me  i find it very useful when they have been eating unsavoury findings from the garden 

Sorry, didn't realise it was the same stuff.  There is so much similar stuff on the market that it's difficult to separate them out.

C.

[bunglycat]

I spoke to one of the vets at vet medic and he still insisted the prokolin will work ! I mentioned the Lacto b and he said -you can give it ,but its not treatment for diarreah , i said i would buy some anyway to try -it should have gone in the post tonight hopefully.
Winston is still on the same felix he has always had so unsure why this has started up as he hasn''t had it for a few years really .
I am still keeping him on the weetabix and will see how he is tomorrow (48 hours then ,on trying the weetabix) if still got it will nip him down to the vets .
He isn't poorly in any way at all , just loose !

[Millys Mum]

I have just spoken to one of the vets behind vetscriptions.co.uk and he has suggested something called Protexin Prosoluble, which is a probiotic that can be added to Dot's food or water to hopefully keep her digestion on the straight and narrow. 

Hes 48hrs behind me  i find it very useful when they have been eating unsavoury findings from the garden 

Thanks -i don''t have any scales and was told its 1.5g per day - would that be around 1/4 of a teaspoon or less ?

there should be a scoop included, give it a good shake and see what happens

[bunglycat]

Thanks -i don''t have any scales and was told its 1.5g per day - would that be around 1/4 of a teaspoon or less ?

[Tiggy's Mum]

I see vetsuk have the lacto b at £10.83 -i presume this will be a box delivery at £1.99 ?
That seems to be a good price .

VetUK is free delivery if you select the 'Royal Mail letter' option at £0.00.  When they first introduced the charges I emailed them and they said that everything is still free delivery (sent in a jiffy bag) and that if you select the £1.99 option the only difference is it comes in a cardboard box!  They have humungous jiffy bags (big enough to fit Riley in  ) so it's not just the small things that are free.

Also if you go via a rescue link to VetUK then the rescue gets 5% of your order value donated to them.

[sheryl]

I think petmeds do free delivery but it usually works out around the same price TBH

[bunglycat]

I see vetsuk have the lacto b at £10.83 -i presume this will be a box delivery at £1.99 ?
That seems to be a good price .

[Catbird]

Maybe after a dose of that, the amount of prebiotic in Arden Grange will keep her on track.

Maybe... if Madame Fusspot will actually consent to get some of it down her neck!

C.

[Mark]

Maybe after a dose of that, the amount of prebiotic in Arden Grange will keep her on track.

[Catbird]

Good news!  I have just spoken to one of the vets behind vetscriptions.co.uk and he has suggested something called Protexin Prosoluble, which is a probiotic that can be added to Dot's food or water to hopefully keep her digestion on the straight and narrow.  He had not only heard of Tritrichomonas Foetus but was treating a cat for it at his own practice. He suggested that I tried the probiotic first before pursuing the possibiity of TF, as the treatment can be unpleasant for the cat.

He was really nice and really helpful  so here's hoping that Dot's bot finally settles down.

C.

[sheryl]

I just mixed the Lacto B in the wet food and as Gillian says they never seemed to notice.  The Prokolin always seemed to make them worse.

I always keep a tub in the cupboard "just in case"

You are very welcome Baggy - so glad to hear that it seems to be helping x

[bunglycat]

Will buy some of that in to try -it sounds easier than the prokaolin stuff when you have to syringe it in them -it also dries really hard if you don''t get it all off them too.
The weetabix seems to working at the mo and he will eat that well mixed in with his food - i am keeping an eye on him just in case he needs to go to the vet - but he seems okay in himself.

[Gillian Harvey]

Hi,
Not used the Lacto B before -do you mix it in with the food ?
Thanks

When I used it I just sprinkled on their food and mixed in a bit - they didnt seem to notice it  

[bunglycat]

Hi,
Not used the Lacto B before -do you mix it in with the food ?
Thanks

[Gillian Harvey]

We showed him the notes on Tritrichoman Foetus and by a strange coincidence, an article on it that Vi found in January's Cat World but he said he had never heard of it and therefore totally dismissed it - he doesn't know what she's got, but it ain't that! 

How on earth can the vet know if she does, or does not have TF without testing for it?!!! I would ask for the test to be done - at least then if it isnt that, its ruled out, but if it is, you can start treatment.

A lot of cats are hypersensitive to the carbs in dry food (carbs are not something a cat needs in their diet) so a carb free wet food would be best, if only you could gradually change her over to wet food. Its not impossible, although cats get addicted to dry food because of the animal digest fats sprayed on the outside of the biscuit. I managed to change all my cats from dry food only, to wet food, then to raw diet and they now have a combination of wet foods, like Natures Harvest, Forthglade, and homemade raw. Some took to it straight away, others took more time. They all still love biscuits - but they only get them as treats now.

[bunglycat]

I may try the Lacto b - 2 of mine have had the runs on and off this week - no change in food though and no reason for it !?
Sophie is almost 15 - eats whiskers supermeat and RC Sensitive.
Winston almost 11 prefersFelix sachets and had no problems , but had runny bum for a few days - tried both with pro-kaolin (sp?) , helped a bit - Soph seems ok again -not sure how long for and Winston is back to having his felix mixed with weetabix as once advised before as he does eat a fair bit and is a big cat.
Its not constant , only ocnce or twice a day , but liquid - any other advice please ?
Sorry to hijack this one -but didnt want to start yet another poo thread !

[Baggy]

At sheryl's suggestion we ordered some Lacto B for Dinah (she's had colitis, so lots of straining and mucousy poos, and is also long-haired ).

Since we started giving it to her last week her poos have returned to more or less normal within a few days (thanks sheryl!).

We got ours here: http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-3494-lacto-b.aspx

[Catbird]

What a waste of your time and money  That was why we got so fed up with the vets they just didnt have a clue.

Give the bottled / filtered water a try as well as the food change and if I think of anything else I will let you know - The Lacto B is definately worth trying too

She's already drinking filtered water - wot, give that common tap water to my ickle lovliness?  I think not! 

Will I find Lacto B on one of the online meds sites?

Thanks.

C.

[sheryl]

What a waste of your time and money  That was why we got so fed up with the vets they just didnt have a clue.

Give the bottled / filtered water a try as well as the food change and if I think of anything else I will let you know - The Lacto B is definately worth trying too

[Catbird]

Well, just back from the vets.  Cab fares £20, consultation fee £27.50.  Vet states that he has no idea what's wrong with my cat.  Vi, my neighbour, came with me because I can't manage a Dot-in-the-box and crutches - she has also had an appointment to discuss her cat with him and he was equally useless then, apparently.  We showed him the notes on Tritrichoman Foetus and by a strange coincidence, an article on it that Vi found in January's Cat World but he said he had never heard of it and therefore totally dismissed it - he doesn't know what she's got, but it ain't that!  I had met this vet before and had specifically asked not to see him this time, so I wasn't best pleased.  I may make an appointment with the other vet, who is great but I think Dot and I will just have to try and tough this one out.  We will try the trial packs from Arden Grange (v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y) and see what happens then.

Thanks to all who responded and if anything else comes to mind, please let me know!

C. (and the skwitty one)

[Mark]

I only found out today that Arden Grange do a grain-free food (it has potatoes for carbs)

Quite reasonably priced - ie in line with Science Plan but far better quality food I think.

http://www.ardengrange.com/Pet-Food/adult-cat-food.asp

Thanks Mark - have just phoned them and persuaded them to send me 2 free sample bags    I'm not keen on repeating the Orijen fiasco (sorry Debs).

C.

No problem. Although I linked to their own site, VetUK sell it so you can get free delivery (although there is a £39 min spend if there is food in the order) - I usually make it up with meds + organic catnip cushions.

[Catbird]

How old is Dot now? Did she come from a breeder - if so what did the breeder feed her?

She's 4.5 and I have had her for a year and 4 months.  Her breeder fed her RC Exigent and I have tried her with this too... guess what happened.

I know to take things really slow with new foods but it doesn't seem to make much difference, unfortunately.

C.

[Catbird]

I only found out today that Arden Grange do a grain-free food (it has potatoes for carbs)

Quite reasonably priced - ie in line with Science Plan but far better quality food I think.

http://www.ardengrange.com/Pet-Food/adult-cat-food.asp

Thanks Mark - have just phoned them and persuaded them to send me 2 free sample bags    I'm not keen on repeating the Orijen fiasco (sorry Debs).

C.

[Catbird]

Does this ring any bells? If so then worth exploring with the new vet...

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,18406.msg312527.html#msg312527

No, it doesn't but thank you so much for posting the link.  I have made some notes and will discuss it with the vet this pm.  From what is said on both that thread and on the www it linked to - it sounds EXACTLY like Dot's current problems. 

 

C.

[Millys Mum]

Applaws is soon to arrive in dry form.

Probiotics wise pro kolin is in a powder form made by the same company 'pro soluble', same as lacto b. It goes in water or food, is like icing sugar so dissolves easily 

[koscha (Ruth M)]

Zea mays is the linnean (latin) name for maize...a lot of companies do this, go pick up your bottle of shampoo with herbal xtracts and read the ingrediants.....Camellia sinensis is tea, Melaleuca alternifolia is tea tree and cranberry is Vaccinium macrocarpon...gives you some idea of what to expect

If you want any obscure names translated, i'm your woman....comes of being a palaeontologist!  oh and having an interest in herbalism.

[Janeyk]

Our Timmy could only eat Purina biscuits (they have high rice content) anything else and he had diarrhoea, good luck

[Mark]

I just checked the ingredients of Arden Grange and it contains Glucosamine, chondroitin and prebiotics - so that is definitely the next food I am going to try. Pretty much in line with Orijen only cheaper and easier to get (Orijen also has potato - I also found out recently they sneak in some corn as well by labelling it as a plant called Zea Mays  )

[sheryl]

It doesnt sound like TF Helen because as far as I know that causes the cat to go to the toilet a lot more frequently? - worth looking into though.

Arden Grange is a good food and the only reason I stopped using it was because I would have needed both kitten and Adult and it would have been a nighmare watching who was eating what - now they can all eat adult I might go back onto it - they do huge sacks which they call "breeder packs" which work out very reasonable.

[sheryl]

James Welbeloved is rice based rather than grain based - it can take any new food 10- 14 days before you might see definate improvements - with the Bengals Tap water always gives them the runs - I know its hard to believe but true.  The Lacto B definately helped.  Natures Harvest food is very natural ingredients.  It can be lots of trial and error - she could be allergic to something as simple as egg which is in a lot of foods.

I know how frustrating this problem can be - I used to get so upset when their tummies had problems (Mellika was always worse than Raffiki) Teeko and Harry have always been okay in the poo department and my 2 moggies eat absolutely anything.  Cooked chicken always made the problem worse and even now gives Mellika the runs.  

TBH I dont think our vets knew what to do - stool samples were all clear, they were wormed regulary and even checked for Guardia which was negative.  I am glad to say that they are fine now but I still dont chop and change their food - just in case.

How old is Dot now? Did she come from a breeder - if so what did the breeder feed her?

[Mark]

I only found out today that Arden Grange do a grain-free food (it has potatoes for carbs)

Quite reasonably priced - ie in line with Science Plan but far better quality food I think.

http://www.ardengrange.com/Pet-Food/adult-cat-food.asp

[Tiggy's Mum]

Does this ring any bells? If so then worth exploring with the new vet...

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,18406.msg312527.html#msg312527

[Catbird]

Prokolin made Charlie very constipated.  Have you tried RC Sensitive?

The previous vet practice had me try Dot on an RC prescription diet, so that may well have been Sensitive, I can't remember exactly what it said on the bag.  It didn't do any good... apart from give her a beautiful coat.

C.

[Catbird]

For my Bengals when they had this problem I put them on a grain free diet and used Lacto B, they also never have tap water. They eat raw meat for about 50% of their wet meals.
 It took a while but eventually tummies settled down.  Prokolin made them worse 

We spent a fortune at the vets who could never find the problem and I didnt want to keep dosing them with Antibiotics,  it took a couple of weeks for the Grain free food to help but eventually did.

Good Luck and I hope that Dot is feeling better soon xxx

Thanks for this.  The problem is further complicated by the fact that she is really fussy re food.  She will not eat raw or cooked meat or fish at all.  I have recently gifted a huge bag of Orijen (which is grain-free) to Debsymiller because Dot's bum exploded really violently when she tried it!  Like you, I am starting to feel that this will not be easily explained.  I left my last vets because after trying antibiotics, they wanted to perform exploratory surgery and I thought that this was a step too far - especially as Dot was obviously in no distress.  Do you know of any other grain free dry foods (doesn't like wet either!)?

Many thanks.

Cath.

[Maddiesmum]

Prokolin made Charlie very constipated.  Have you tried RC Sensitive?

[sheryl]

For my Bengals when they had this problem I put them on a grain free diet and used Lacto B, they also never have tap water. They eat raw meat for about 50% of their wet meals.
 It took a while but eventually tummies settled down.  Prokolin made them worse 

We spent a fortune at the vets who could never find the problem and I didnt want to keep dosing them with Antibiotics,  it took a couple of weeks for the Grain free food to help but eventually did.

Good Luck and I hope that Dot is feeling better soon xxx

[Catbird]

Yep, sorry, Dot's bot is misbehaving again.  We are off to the new vet tomorrow, the previous vets having drawn a blank but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a product to try other than Prokolin, which is what I have been dosing her with.  She is not going to the tray with great frequency (once per day) but everything she produces is in liquid form and stinky as hell    Usually she drags her tail in it and then the race is on - can I catch her before she uses her tail to "paint" all around home (currently she is winning as I am on crutches!).

She's happy, apparently healthy and eats, drinks and plays well.  Her usual food is RC Maine Coon but I have more recently been feeding her RC Sensible, to no avail.  Is there anything anyone can suggest?  Is there a product that anyone swears by?

Yours in hope,

C.